Man of the Year
Sirs:
THE MAN OF THE YEAR 1944 IS THE COMMON FIGHTING MAN. LET TIME GLORIFY NO INDIVIDUAL POLITICIAN OR GENERAL WHOSE MOMENTARY FAME MAY QUICKLY FADE. THE ISSUES OF THIS YEAR ARE BEING DECIDED BY THE BLOODY SACRIFICES OF MILLIONS OF ORDINARY HEROES. . . .
CHARLES A. JOHNSON
New York City
Sirs:
General Ike Eisenhower who, by grace of The Dead, has finally put American, British and French troops back on German soil.
J. R. HUNNEMAN
Boston
Sirs:
In view of America's overwhelmingly influential position in the world, and in view of the President's similar position both at home and abroad . . . Franklin Roosevelt.
WINIFRED HAYES
Seattle
Sirs:
. . Fala. . .
New York City
CHARLES FILIP
Sirs:
Wendell Willkie ... He died a hero trying to make all political parties worthy of America. . . .
FREDERICK SOBECK
Pittsburgh
Sirs:
A righting liberal and one of the greatest living Americans: Henry A. Wallace. . . .
JOSEPH ANDRIOLA
New York City
Sirs:
For people who owe their lives to penicillin, Dr. Alexander Fleming.
HERBERT BAUER, M.D.
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
P: Nominations for Man of the Year are now closed. The leaders to date:
EISENHOWER AND G.I. JOE (tied), 3) FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT, 4) WENDELL WILLKIE.--ED.
Lost & Found
Sirs:
Our dog has been lost and we have information, that he may have been picked up by soldiers passing through here a few days ago and we are wondering if you would be so kind as to make mention of same in your letters-to-editor space with the hope that this information reaches someone who knows of his whereabouts.
He, I would say, is classed as small but heavy, tannish color with white markings, hair similar to a collie's, had on broad, brown leather, brass-studded collar, wags tail in curve over back most of time. His habits are shaking hands with everybody, and with his left holds hands; also sits up and climbs a stepladder. His name is Rubanof.
T. J. HARRISON
Dalhart, Tex.
1/2 Anybody seen him?--ED.
Shelley and Sir William
Sirs:
The election of Sir William Beveridge to Parliament (TIME, Nov. 20) constitutes one of time's quainter revenges, for Sir William is Master of the Oxford College that expelled Shelley for advocating the ideas for which Sir William is now honored.
Shelley was dismissed for contumacy. . . . Shortly after his expulsion he wrote A Philosophical View of Reform, a document strikingly similar in spirit and even--at times--in wording to Sir William's famed Social Insurance and Allied Services.
Shelley stated four fundamental propositions: 1) "That the majority of the people of England are destitute and miserable, ill-clothed, ill-fed, ill-educated. 2) That the cause of this misery is the unequal distribution which . . . has been made of the products of their labour. 3) That the cause of that cause is a defect in the government. 4) That every enlightened and honourable person ought to excite them [the common people] ... to the temperate but irresistible vindication of their rights."
The Beveridge Report states the first of these propositions in statistics, graphs and budgets. With the second it agrees bluntly: "Abolition of want requires a . . . redistribution of income." The third, of course, is its whole justification: "The framing of a satisfactory scheme of social security depends on . . . social organization. . . ."
When heads of colleges are only 130 years in the lag of bright undergraduates, the world need not despair. To Sir William, the honor of this age; to Shelley, the honor of all ages!
BERGEN EVANS
Professor
Department of English
Northwestern University
Evanston, Ill.
Where Is Rosemount?
Sirs:
We note in TIME [Nov. 27] an article which refers to the Gopher Ordnance Plant. We quote the following paragraph:
"The crisis was well illustrated by what had happened in the tiny town of Rosemount, near Minneapolis. There, in the expanding days of 1942, the 21,000-acre Gopher Ordnance Works--a typical example of the cornfield-to-factory projects which sprang up all over the U.S.--was built to manufacture powder."
We desire to call your attention to the fact that while Rosemount is near Minneapolis, the actual mileage from Rosemount to the center of the loop in Saint Paul is approximately three miles less than from Rosemount to the center of the loop in Minneapolis. From the center of the project to the center of the loop of each of the Twin Cities is probably four miles closer to Saint Paul. Generally, this has been considered a Saint Paul project. . .
We concede that Minneapolis is the larger city, having approximately 500,000 population to approximately 300,000 in Saint Paul, but we do believe that Saint Paul is entitled to as much mention and credit for its activities as the larger city.
M. W. THOMPSON
Secretary
Retail Department
Saint Paul Association of Commerce
Saint Paul, Minn.
P: Large and beautiful is Minneapolis. Large (but a little smaller) and beautiful is Saint Paul. All hail to Minnesota's Twin Cities--whom TIME knows better than to get between.--ED.
Ray of Hope
Sirs:
In a world rife with war and hate, in a nation rife with racial prejudice and discrimination, your story [TIME, Nov. 20] of interracial medicine at Harlem's Sydenham Hospital comes as the most encouraging evidence of social progress of which I have heard for a long time. Thanks for telling us about it. Perhaps social progress is not a myth, as I had begun to fear. . . .
DOROTHY NOTT SWITZER
North Loup, Neb.
Regents v. Texas
Sirs:
We wish to express our sincere gratitude for your splendid news coverage of the Rainey-Regents controversy at the University of Texas (TIME, Nov. 13; 27). We were particularly pleased that you gave publicity to the students' viewpoint, something that so many newspapers of the state have more or less ignored. The controversy is not yet settled and the student body and all other liberals of the state continue the fight for the restoration of academic freedom and President Rainey.
CHARLES CROSSON
JOHN C. FAVOR
CATHERINE CROSSON
PIERRE CROSSON
ROBERT V. CROSSON
Students of the University of Texas Austin, Tex.
Tell It to Sweeney
Sirs:
Shades of Stewart! Memories of Morenz! Sweeney Schriner is a fine hockey player. He can score goals with the best of them. But clever as he is, he can't be as good as you say in TIME (Nov. 20): 19 goals and 16 assists in the first seven games is too much. Isn't it more likely 9 and 6? ...
STANLEY WARREN
New York City
P: Yes. TIME'S printer, a Schriner fan, was overenthusiastic.--ED.
Philippines First
Sirs:
Your Oct. 9 Pacific pony edition was the first first-class mail I received in the Philip-pinesr Congratulations. This particular issue, I found, also suggested an invasion of the 6 TIME, DECEMBER 18, 1944 central Philippines instead of Mindanao. You were certainly well informed.
JOHN F. MCPEAK
Captain
c/o Postmaster
San Francisco
Gov. Warmoth
Sirs:
Shame upon TIME'S book reviewer for attributing to scholarly Historian Lonn's Reconstruction in Louisiana [TIME, Nov. 27] TIME'S error in referring to "Negro Governor Warmoth."
No Negro, Henry Clay Warmoth was born of American pioneer stock of Dutch extraction. In fact there has never been a Negro Governor in the U.S. Closest was Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback, who served as Acting Governor of Louisiana from Dec. 9, 1872 until Jan. 13, 1873, while Governor Warmoth was unable to perform the duties of his office because he was the subject of impeachment proceedings. . . .
JAMES M. ROSBROW
Wilmington, Del.
P: TIME confused a 72-year-old situation and White Governor Warmoth with his Negro Lieutenant Governor, Pinckney B. S. Pinchback, hopes that their heirs and assigns will excuse it. --ED.
Collision Mats and Sea Pigs
Sirs:
In TIME (Nov. 13) I read with amusement an item signed Technical Sergeant John B. White, U.S.M.C., anent the use of slang in the armed forces in general and its use in the Marine Corps in particular. I take exception to his allegations that, for example, catsup is always called catsup, etc. ...
I assume that Sergeant White has not been with us long, so I submit herewith for Ye Editor's perusal and White's edification a limited list of the more well-known slang terms in common use:
"FOODS"
Catsup Red lead
Coffee Jamok (Contr. of Java-Mocha Salt Sea Dust
Stew Slum
Eggs Hen fruit
Tapioca pudding Frog eyes
Pancakes Collision mats
Cocoa Mud
Tinned cornbeef Monkey Meat
Bread Punk
Red lead
THINGS"
Underwear Scivvies
Take a rest Bunk fatigue
Obese Marine Sea pig
Loud talker Gum beater
Dumb fellow Knuckle head
Marine who always
wants to go to town Liberty hound
Heavy eater Chow hound
And so ad infinitum.
CHARLES KLEIN
Chief Warrant Officer, U.S.M.C.
San Diego
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